The Osceola times., 1887-10-01
ALCOHOLISM GETS IN ITS
WORK.
Three Lives offered up as q
Sacrifice.
A Powerful Prohibition Lee
ture Horribly illustrated
in Two Acts.

AT the hour when :he matin bells
were summoning the christians and
church goers of Osceola to the seve-
raj churches, last Sunday, the sharp
report of a gun, speeding leaden
messenger Of death, caught up the
reverbera,ing echoes of the quaver-
ing chimes as they died away in the
distance, and proclaimed another
victory for his august majesty, King
Alcohol!
Following the lead of the crowd
that bent its way to the spot indicat-
ed by the report of the gun, the
TINES scribe pressed his way through
motley assemblage, into what is
here known Us Gordon's Restaurant
"a disreputable negro dive, where,
on the floor, lay the dead form of "A
stalwart young mulatto. his breast
pierced by a minnie ball, fired with
a Needle, or Army gun.
At the Coronor's inquest, which
was held later in the day, the facts
were developed that, George Till
man and Jesse Anderson, two young
colored men, scarcely of age, and
under the influence Of liquor, called
and ordered breakfast, and becoming
noisy and abusive, the proprietress,
Mrs. Gordon, ordered them away,
and at the same time returned the
money she had received from Til
man for his breakfast. This seem.
I'D to enrage them, and Tillman
drawing knife, threatened to cut
her. Mrs. Gordon sent her brother
out to look up an officer; meanwhile
the young bucks becoming more
and more abusive and aggressive,
the woman pleading and begging
them to go away and let her alone.
Going behind the counter, she was
followed by Jesse Anderson, while
George Tillman in front, was at
tempting to slash her across the
counter. In the corner stood gun,
which the woman picked up, saying,
4" If you don't go away III hit you
with this gun" Anderson, who was
behind the counter grabbed the gun,
as did, also, Tillman by reaching
over and grasping it near the muzzle
and drawing it down across the coun-
ter. While all this was transpiring,
Charles Quarles, who was asleep in
u rear apartment, was awakened bv
the noise, and rushing in the front,
or store room, and in the interest of
peace, counseied the two boys to
desist and to go away and let the
woman alone, al the same time lay
ing hold of the gun over which all
were scufflng. At this George Till
man. the one next to him on the out
side, let 90 his hold on the muzzle
end of the gun, and before he could
fairly step aside, the gun was dis
charged, its contents passing through
the body of Charles Quarles, the in
nocent peace-maker. The verdict
OF the Coronor's jury was in accord
with the above statement. Quarles
was new conner, and is from St.
Louis, where he has a wife. He is
said to have been a gambler, and
followed in the wake of the Cairo
cotton pickers who are now in the
vicinity gathering the staple.
Tillman, Anderson and Mrs. Cor
don had a preliminary examination
on Monday, before Squire N. G.
Cartwright, before whom substan-
TALLY the same evidence, together
with the testimony of few addition
al witnesses was taken, going to
show a suspicion of premcditation
and conspiracy, and which led to the
commitment of Tillman and Ander-
son, ON failure of a $1,000 bond
each, tor their appearance a: the
next term of the Circuit Court. The
woman was discharged.
ACT II.
Late, Sunday evening, and before
the excitement resulting from the
tragedy enacted in the morning had
subsidized, news reached Osceola to
the effect that two men were drown
ed near Gold Dust, early that morn
ing. Subsequent inquiry proved the
report too true. We CLEAN the fol-
lowing facts of the sad and unfortu-
nate affair: Late Saturday evening,
seven men, citizens Of Gold Dust
and vicinity, came over in skill to
Mill Bayou landing, on this, the
Arkansas shore. When the steamer
Coahomo landed at that place, the
party filed up" and laid in a lib
eral supply of red liquor from the
bar, and spent the greater part Of
the night at the landing in carous-
ing. Sometime between 3 and o.
clock Sunday morning, they all got
in their skiff and pulled for the Ten
nessee shore, and when near the
bank at Gold Dust, a snag was en-
countered and the boat upset, throw
ing the boozy crew into the water.
Five managed to cling to the upturr-
ed boat and reach the bank. The
other two, Napoleon Darnell and
WIN. O'Steane, being more under
the influence Of whiskey, and having
a Jug full of the stuff in charge and
which they undertook to save, sought